Pavement Magazine Column Jan. 3, 2017: An Accountable Government

The January column in Pavement Maintenance & Reconstruction Magazine is about the unaccountability of the USGS and its NAWQA program. Since the November election, political pundits have pointed to over regulation and rule by unelected bureaucrats as an important factor in the unexpected outcome of the election.

For the past decade, the sealcoating industry has been targeted by an unaccountable government agency – the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program of the US Geological Survey6 (USGS). …bureaucrats have been encouraged, congratulated, and their work has been promoted as an example of “policy relevant science” produced by NAWQA management at USGS Headquarters. …

…PCTC has seen close-up the face of the unaccountable bureaucracy. Frustration and anger of people working in industries targeted for non-beneficial regulation, without any apparent recourse, undoubtedly led many to vote for change.